A Beautiful Mind.

Reviewed on PlayStation 3

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November 12, 2013

The fact that Stick it to The Man! is not a Tim Schafer game absolutely blows my mind (and believe me, I mean that in the best way). Its endearingly off-beat characters and quirky sense of humor could easily be mistaken for something straight out of Psychonauts or Grim Fandango. The basic setup even resembles Double Fine Productions’ latest effort, The Cave: though the 2D side-scrolling levels suggest it’s a platformer, the actual gameplay consists primarily of exploration, puzzle solving, and character interaction. You know, textbook adventure game stuff. It’s a formula we don’t see often enough, and one that Stick It executes with distinctive style, uncommonly excellent writing, and surprisingly self-assured game design.

Shortly after the opening credits, leading man Ray Doewood -- a nervous but likable schlub -- is struck by a mysterious government canister as it crashes to earth. Following a pretty hilarious tutorial dream sequence, Ray wakes to discover a giant pink spaghetti arm sticking out of his skull and quickly learns a shadowy chain-smoker known appropriately as The Man wants him dead. Or alive, either way. Luckily, his brand new extremity not only allows Ray to nimbly grapple and swing to certain points in the environment, it also lets him read people’s minds. Because what else would a crazy head-arm do?

The ensuing storyline careens wildly through countless madcap scenarios, from escaping an insane asylum on an inflated zombie whale to stealing an evil disco-dancing mob boss’s beautiful teeth. Even with all the over-the-top hijinks, the narrative remains compelling and cohesive (in a charming, cartoon-logic kind of way), and despite the campaign’s relatively brief five to six hour run time, the story still completes a full, satisfying arc. There’s very little replay value once you’ve heard all the jokes and solved all the puzzles, but the game at least manages to remain consistently funny throughout -- a huge plus considering most of the experience is devoted to eavesdropping on everyone’s thoughts.

What’s truly impressive about Stick It is that it effortlessly develops its own distinct voice. The jokes don’t simply rely on tired internet memes or cheap, mindless gags. Instead, the humor emerges organically from the seemingly inexhaustible supply of imaginative characters like the conjoined triplets who also happen to be luchadors, or the ghost of a psychiatrist who’s obsessed with lobotomies. And while Stick It’s not afraid to get a little dark or surreal at times, the overall tone always remains pleasantly playful and silly. It’s really nice to find a game that’s capable of being clever but still doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s all supported by a soundtrack that’s both insanely catchy and perfectly complementary to the game’s other elements, as well as an impressive Paper Mario-esque visual style. The confidence and maturity of the overall vision is stunning, to say nothing of the expert execution.

Have you seen this man?

Sweeter still, the gameplay design doesn’t trail far behind. Stick It adopts a Metroidvania approach to exploration, allowing Ray to move freely back and forth across the entire level as he gradually collects items and unlocks new paths. His ultimate goal is typically to escape the area, but in order to do so, he has to read minds, grab “stickers” out of people’s thoughts, and figure out exactly where to place those stickers. In one level, I had to grab some guy’s salty tears and give them to a chef so he could complete his meal, then give the meal to a different guy trying lure his pet gator out of a sewer pipe, only to take the gator’s jaws to a dog...and on and on. Of course, the game never spoon fed me the answers, I had to uncover the starting point and gradually unravel the intricate series of steps on my own.

Puzzle solutions were always amusing and often unexpected, but no matter how farfetched they became, there was typically enough logic involved that I didn’t have to resort to mindless trial-and-error tactics. On the other hand, there were also no real “Oh, that’s brilliant!” moments like in, say, Portal. The sillier tone doesn’t necessarily lend itself to seriously challenging puzzles, but a little dose of cunning design could have elevated the experience even further. Still, the process never grows too predictable or routine, and the complexity does ramp up as you progress through the campaign. Plus, the non-stop humor and smartly-implemented cutscenes keep the momentum moving even in the absence of any real show-stopping puzzles.

Stick it to The Man Wiki

The Verdict

Stick it to The Man! really is the complete package. Its style feels fully developed, its comedy proves genuinely funny, and its puzzles are actually fun to solve. Everything from the pacing to the cutscenes feels succinct and smartly designed, creating an experience that gets all the details right while not overextending itself. I almost wish the gameplay had been slightly more ambitious, but what it lacks in innovation it more than makes up in personality.